24 September 2017

Canon EOS 7D Mark III Wish List for Birds in Flight Photography

Canon 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens : Image: Vernon Chalmers

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II was released on 15 September 2014 as the replacement for the Canon EOS 7D that was released on 1 September 2009. We may only still be just over halfway in the Canon EOS 7D Mark II's life cycle, but with current (competitive) advancements in the APS-C DSLR and Mirrorless camera market I'm starting to think about some of the features that could be improved on.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II for Birds in Flight Photography

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II is in my opinion a formidable APS-C DSLR with an advanced AF system just about straight out of the Canon EOS-1D X / Canon EOS 5D Mark III professional bodies. The 65-point AF system and the 1.6 crop sensor advantages were part of my decision-making for adding the Canon EOS 7D Mark II to my existing gear.Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens First Impressions Article

I use the Canon EOS 7D Mark II exclusively and very frequently for Birds in Flight Photography paired with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens (at Woodbridge Island, Cape Town). I'm quite happy with this pairing and the only in-the-near-future upgrade that I would consider is the replacement of my current 400mm lens with the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens.

Before upgrading to the Canon EOS 7D Mark II I was quite satisfied capturing Birds in Flight with my Canon EOS 70D (which I still use) and if it was not for the Birds in Flight workshops I present would probably have stayed with the Canon EOS 70D for a year or so longer.I had a brief opportunity to test a Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens pairing before upgrading to my own Canon EOS 7D Mark II. When comparing the Canon EOS 7D Mark II directly to the Canon EOS 70D I appreciate the following features the most:

Advanced AF system with multi-controller support

Wide Zone AF option for erratic and small birds

10 frames per second continuous shooting

Deeper buffer for RAW shooting

Slightly better ISO noise improvement

CF Card / Dual memory card slots

Please Note: This article is not a Canon EOS 7D Mark III rumor, but as a current user of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II I have certain expectations (wish list) of possible specifications and features of a Canon EOS 7D Mark III DSLR camera should there be such a camera.

Canon 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens : Image: Vernon Chalmers

Canon EOS 7D Mark III Wish List / Requirements

Different Canon EOS 7D Mark II Birds in Flight photographers users will probably list all sorts of required / improved functionality that they would like to see added to a possible Canon EOS 7D Mark III - especially now after the early 2016 release of the Canon EOS 80D and the more recently released Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

My Canon EOS 7D Mark III wish list is based on personal preferences and will most likely be quite different for many current Canon EOS 7D mark II photographers around the world.

Other photographers may want to see 4K video, faster frame rate and a few other enhancements - below is my Canon EOS 7D Mark III wish list for my own Birds in Flight photography.

I'm in no real hurry for adding a possible Canon EOS 7D Mark III to my Birds in Flight Photography gear - the possibility is very exiting, but before then I would more than likely replace my Canon EOS 6D with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (2017) and wait for the new Canon EOS APS-C flagship announcement (possibly later in 2017 or perhaps 2018).